This invention relates generally to vehicle blind spot detection systems and, more particularly, to a blind spot detection display system for displaying indications from a blind spot detector.
Blind spot detectors have been developed in order to detect the presence of a vehicle or other object in the driver's blind spot. The driver's blind spot is that portion of the vehicle in which an object will not normally be observed by the use of the interior and exterior mirrors of the vehicle. By detecting the presence of an object in the driver's blind spot, the blind spot detector is useful in assisting the driver in performing a premaneuver evaluation of the environment surrounding the vehicle in anticipation of a lane change or the like. Known blind spot detectors include active and passive infrared detectors, optical detectors, radar-based detectors, and the like.
A blind spot detection system requires a user interface in order to inform the user that an object is in the driver's blind spot. In order to be most effective, such user interface should be natural and provide an intuitive warning to the user. One prior art approach has been to provide a series of indication lights on the exterior mirror on the same side of the vehicle being protected by the blind spot detector. Alternatively, the display system may be mounted inside the vehicle compartment, but on the pillar adjacent the exterior rearview mirror. Such positioning of the display on, or adjacent to, the exterior rearview mirror provides association with the side of the vehicle being covered by the blind spot detector. The exterior mirror is typically considered by the vehicle operator to be secondary to the interior rearview mirror in importance in premaneuver evaluation. As such, it may be possible for the vehicle operator to overlook indications made by display systems associated with the exterior rearview mirror until late in the premaneuver evaluation. The presence of precipitation or road dirt on either the side window or the mirror itself may further reduce the clarity of indication to the driver. In order to overcome this difficulty, it has been proposed to provide an audio warning of the presence of a vehicle in the driver's blind spot in order to augment a visual indicator. While such audio indicator is readily perceived by the vehicle operator, the frequency with which vehicles enter and leave the blind spot results in an excessive frequency of indication which can be annoying to the driver. In order to overcome such annoyance, the driver may mentally "tune out" the audio indicator reducing its effectiveness. Furthermore, the existence of an annoyance to the driver reduces the overall alertness of the driver to traffic situations.